With the filing of nominations set to begin on Wednesday, the Congress on Monday tried to reach out to its rebel and two MLAs, while the JD(S) officially announced it was fielding a member of the Rajkumar family.
On Monday, the JD(S) fielded its candidate Geetha Shivarajkumar, wife of actor Shivarajkumar, while the Congress managed to get two sitting MLAs into its fold. It also tried to convince disgruntled senior leader C K Jaffer Sharief to remain in the party.
On the other hand, the BJP is still finding it difficult to stem dissidence in Mysore where former MP C H Vijayashankar continues to defy the party’s decision to field journalist Pratap Simha.
Geetha Shivarajkumar, daughter of former chief minister S Bangarappa, was officially declared the Shimoga Lok Sabha candidate in Shimoga.
The political greenhorn will take on former chief minister and local strongman B S Yeddyurappa (BJP).
The JD(S) is hoping to spring a surprise — it is banking on its recent performance in the Assembly elections where it won three seats, a sizeable Ediga votebase and late Bangarappa’s charisma.
This is also the first time that a member of late cine actor Rajkumar’s family will be contesting in an election. While her husband Shivarajkumar has decided to campaign for Geetha, the other Rajkumar family members have decided to stay away.
Actor Puneeth, the youngest of the Rajkumar’s sons who turned 39 on Monday, told Express that he will not campaign. “I am not campaigning,’’ he said adding that he would “wish to stay neutral and focus on films’’.
Meanwhile, the Congress will add two MLAs to its stable. Bagepalli independent MLA S N Subba Reddy is set to join the ruling party in a week’s time while lone Samajwadi Party MLA in the state C P Yogeshwar will officially join the Congress on Tuesday.
Subba Reddy’s entry has led to a heartburn in the party with defeated MLA N Sampangi expressing his dissent.
He is said to have conveyed his feelings to senior party leaders. Sources said he might not fully involve himself in the elections in Chikballapur.
Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily is seeking a reelection from here. Sampangi and Deputy Speaker Shivashankar Reddy were instrumental in bringing Moily to Chikballapur in 2009.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister went to Sharief’s house and persuaded him to stay back in the party. The CM’s sudden visit comes after media reports that the miffed minority leader is considering joining hands with former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and contest on a JD(S) ticket from Mysore.
Sharief, who earlier in the day held a meeting with his supporters, told reporters after meeting the CM that “only Sonia Gandhi can intervene and resolve the issue’’. He also didn’t give any assurance to Siddaramaiah and said he would convey the decision after returning from Mecca.
The chances of the CM retaining him in the party, however, seemed remote as KPCC president G Parameshwara categorically stated that the party wouldn’t change Rizwan Arshad’s candidature from Bangalore Central.
Also Read